Australian Submarine Agency

The Australian Submarine Agency, formerly the Nuclear-Powered Submarine Task Force is the federal statutory agency of the Commonwealth Government responsible for guiding Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program. The ASA was established in July 2023 as a non-corporate Commonwealth entity under the Department of Defence consisting of defence personnel and Australian public servants.

Organisation

Personnel will be based across Australia as well as in the United Kingdom and the United States, numbering 350 increasing to 680 within the following year. The ASA's expected budget in the 2024-25 Budget was 243.4 million in 2023-24, increasing to 527.4 million in 2026-27.

Leadership

Director-General

Responsibilities

Submarine acquisition

The role of the ASA is to support Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines. The acquisition, through the AUKUS partnership, will include three Virginia-class and five SSN-AUKUS submarines. USS Delaware and USS New Jersey are likely to be the two existing United States Navy fleet units that will transferred to the Royal Australian Navy, with the third vessel being a new build.

Submarine construction

The ASA will be the lead agency for nuclear vessel construction, with the Osborne Naval Shipyard designated as the preferred location for the construction of nuclear submarines in Australia. Five Australian SSN-AUKUS submarines will be built in South Australia as part of the arrangement with an undetermined amount of the same design to be built by BAE Systems Submarines for the Royal Navy.

Nuclear vessel support

As part of the transition from diesel-electric to nuclear-powered submarines, the Royal Australian Navy will be using one Royal Navy and four United States Navy submarines stationed at HMAS Stirling on a rotational basis under the name Submarine Rotational Force – West .